The Janet Dickson case must lead to a law change

Radio NZ reports:

A real estate agent on the verge of losing her licence after being denied an exemption from a compulsory Māori tikanga course said if she had her time again, she would still refuse to do it.

“It’s totally irrelevant to the everyday work of real estate,” Janet Dickson told NZME.

“That we should learn to bow down to the Māori gods. That’s a major part. I downloaded the course book to see what it was about … and I’m going, pardon? You’re asking me to do what?

“It’s [my real estate work] to do with property; it’s nothing to do with spiritual gods and tikanga.”

The Real Estate Tribunal this week rejected Dickson’s request for an exemption from the compulsory course.

With 30 years’ experience, she’s been left feeling teary and like her profession had betrayed her.

The decision concludes a nearly three-year battle argued before the Real Estate Authority, the High Court and the tribunal.

The authority has already signalled it is unlikely to reinstate Dickson’s licence after the tribunal’s decision, even though she said it hasn’t suspended or cancelled the licences of other agents found guilty of misconduct for “seriously negligent real estate agency work”.

The only enduring solution is to strip all these regulatory bodies of powers to impose ideological mandatory courses as a condition of registration.

Dickson by the way is a former REINZ Salesperson of the Year. This is who they are cancelling because she won’t kowtow.

Dickson insists her stance isn’t racial. She grew up among Māori families, taught at Bay of Islands College, which was predominantly Māori, and passed School Certificate Māori.

Her father was chaplain to the 26th Battalion and good friends with Canon Wiremu “Wi” Te Tau Huata, a highly respected Māori Anglican chaplain.

“That has been my soul upbringing. When my father was ill, he was like a godfather to us”.

She’s standing on principle.